{"id":44339,"date":"2018-12-21T22:45:04","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T05:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/you-got-in-heres-how-to-decide-which-mba-program-to-attend\/"},"modified":"2018-12-21T22:45:04","modified_gmt":"2018-12-22T05:45:04","slug":"you-got-in-heres-how-to-decide-which-mba-program-to-attend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/you-got-in-heres-how-to-decide-which-mba-program-to-attend\/","title":{"rendered":"You got in! Here\u2019s How to Decide Which MBA Program to Attend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Those\u00a0admits\u00a0are\u00a0flying\u00a0in!<\/p>\n

First of all, congratulations, my friend. Take a second to
\ndo a happy dance, let out some joyful noise, or plan your self-celebration
\nparty, whatever floats your boat. To have your pick of MBA programs is a rare
\nthing\u2014you are livin\u2019 the dream. <\/p>\n

Alright, now that you\u2019ve composed yourself (need another second? That\u2019s cool too.), it\u2019s decision time. How do you pick amongst your dream schools?<\/p>\n

In many cases, there\u2019s a silver bullet behind making this
\ndecision. Is one of the schools far and away the best ranked program among your
\noptions? Or even the most highly ranked by a small margin? There\u2019s your
\nanswer\u2014go to that school. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut X course at program B,\u201d or, \u201cY professor at program C,\u201d
\nor \u201cI just felt at home at program D\u2026\u201d Let us stop you there. There is no
\ncourse, no professor, no feeling of \u201cfit\u201d that will outweigh the advantages of
\ngoing to the BEST program you can possibly go to. <\/p>\n

Being a pragmatic, business-minded MBA applicant you must be
\nwell aware of the outsize influence of name brand in the real world. Until that
\nchanges, your career will benefit far more from having gained an MBA from a
\ntop-ranked program than it will from a middle-ranked program that just \u201cfelt
\nright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Got it? Cool.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still reading this, that probably means there\u2019s no quick and easy answer for you because the programs you are choosing between are roughly equal in rank. Now that\u2019s a conundrum. <\/em>There are a number of factors that can help you make your decision, though, as well as lots of red herrings that you should give no credence to as you make your choice.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with what you SHOULD pay attention to when making your decision.<\/p>\n

Student body<\/h3>\n

After rank, this is definitely the number one determinant of
\nthe right MBA program for you. Why should you care about this more than any
\nother factor? Because surrounding yourself with the brightest, most ambitious,
\nmost likely to succeed people will help YOU succeed, too. Consider as well that
\nthe higher ranked a school is, the more selective it is, and therefore the
\nhigher quality its student body will be. <\/p>\n

However, beyond the cold, calculated self-interest of
\nsurrounding yourself with others on a path to success, consider that your peers
\nin the MBA program are going to become a lifelong network for you to rely on as
\nyou advance in your career. They may even become lifelong friends, or partners
\nin your next venture. You want to surround yourself with the best of the best,
\nso if you can\u2019t make a decision based on rank, then make a decision based on
\nwhat you\u2019ve seen, heard, and experienced about the student body of the various
\nprograms you\u2019re considering. <\/p>\n

You probably got a feel for this when you visited campus, talked to students, or reached out to alumni. Were they warm, welcoming, helpful? Did they seem like they were the kind of people you would want to network with? Did they seem like superstars? Those are the kind of people you want on your team.<\/p>\n

Graduation placement<\/h3>\n

Rank being equal, and student body perhaps difficult to
\njudge, another great indicator to fall back on is how well the various programs
\nunder consideration place their graduates in careers. After all, don\u2019t you get
\nan MBA to end up in your dream job?<\/p>\n

The good news is that this is a fairly straightforward
\nmeasure. Every school will have statistics on career placement available on
\ntheir website, and many will even break it down by industry. Have a gander, and
\nconsider your likelihood of career success when choosing which program to
\nattend.<\/p>\n

While these factors can help you make your decision, there\u2019s
\nan endless stream of information being thrown at you that WON\u2019T help you make
\nyour decision, and shouldn\u2019t even make it into the pros and cons list.<\/p>\n

This boils down to the myth of \u201cfit.\u201d Schools will throw a
\nhundred different factors out there to try and promote their perfect fit for
\nyou, and you should see most if not all of it as complete poppycock. School
\nsize, location in an urban or rural or small town setting, class size, school
\nspirit; all of these are red herrings that distract you from considering your
\nlikelihood of success with X or Y program. Trust us, if you attend the BEST
\nschool you got into, you will find that feeling of \u201cfit\u201d amongst your equally
\nhigh-potential peers and the great resources that a top school has to offer.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, these red herrings are just clever
\nmarketing\u2014material programs use to attract as many applicants as possible.
\nHigher application rates mean more selectivity for them, and more dollars in
\nthe bank, so of course they\u2019re going to give you a hundred little reasons that
\nthey are better suited to you than program ABC that\u2019s at least two echelons
\nabove them. Tune it out, friends, and focus on rank, student body, and career placement\u2014that\u2019s
\nyour formula for success.<\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

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\nNow, read up and get smart:\n<\/p>\n